Egg-case filler



No. 621,609. Patented Mar. 2|, I899}. c.- E. LA FLEUB.

EGG CASE FILLER.

(Application med Nov. 10, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shut I e C 0 Q 9 0O o O 6 o o O o o o O I: O O O O b O O O o O o a O o L O o L o I 0' ARox;\ 0

Fig 2. d T T I m m m m c v v v v v A I IV'tnesses. d. Inventor:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. LA FLEUR, OF. BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

EGG-CA'SE FILLERf' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.621,609, dated March 21, 1899.

I Application filed November 15, 1898. Serial No. 696,507. (No model.)

In the further description of the said inven-.

tion which follows reference is made to the accompanying drawings,forming a part thereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a top view oftheimproved filler, showing the same as extended and laid upon aperforated board which separates it from a similar filler beneath. Fig.2 is an edge view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of the filler as itappears when nearly collapsed or closed for storage or transportation.Fig. 4 is an enlarged top view of a section of the filler before the twosides thereof are glued together.

Fig. 5 is an edge view of Fig. 4.

In constructing a filler in accordance with my present invention I takea straw or wood pulp board A of suitable width and of a length equal tothe aggregate length of the sides of, say, four hexagonal cells, and, inaddition, twice the length of the spaces between them, and provide itwith notches or incisions a, which extend transversely of the board andhave aseparating distance equal to the length of the sides of thecells.- These notches or incisions constitute the corners of the'cellsand allow of the board being bent thereat without distorting thematerial between them from a straight line. The board is thensusceptible of'being given the form shown in Figs. 1 and 4, its endsmeeting at the center of the device. Other folded boards, constructed asdescribed, are then added to the first, the adjoining faces I) beingglued together when the last is provided with a halfboard B. The unitedboards are then clamped until the glue is dry, when they are cut intostripsof a width a little greater than the length of an egg.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that each fillerconsists of a num-.

ber (preferably six) of independent sections and a half-section gluedtogether, each section having a continuous wall, and that the ends ofthe strips meet at the center of the device, where they are glued to theopposite face.

By folding the board so that its ends will meet at the center, asdescribed, the manu facture of the filler is much simplified and morereadily constructed by machinery, for the reason that the upturned endshave a common length.

It is well known that eggs when confined in closed places acquirea'moldy taste, and I therefore provide the fillers with means wherebyair'may pass from one cell to another. This may be effected in manydiiferent ways; but I prefer to notch the wall of the cells andperforate the separating-partition between the fillers, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2, in which the notches are denoted by d and the holes inthe partition-board G by e.

.The cases in which the fillers are placed are not air-tight.Consequently air entering the case may pass to all the eggs in thecells.

While the circulation of air as described is not rapid or of a verypronounced character, it is snfficient to prevent for a considerabletime the eggs from becoming musty.

In packing eggs for shipment a filler is laid on the bottom of the caseand extended and its cells filled. A perforated partition-board is thenlaid over the eggs and another filler added and its cells filled, thisprocess being continued until the requisite number of fillers are inplace and the case filled.

I claim as my invention- A square egg-case filler comprising a series ofindependent sections any two of which form an odd number of completehexagonal cells, secured together with glue each section consisting of asheet or strip folded upon itself with its ends united intermediate theends of the section and made collapsible to admit of its being flattenedand clamped to a corresponding and similar section, substantially as,and for the purpose specified.

' CHARLES E. LA FLEUR.

Witnesses:

WM. T. HOWARD, A. L. HOMER.

